“No, I won’t stay married to a man that sleeps with his maids. Never. You must sign those papers or else I would request for an annulment,” Martha yelled.
Julian shuddered at the idea of an annulment. “Not to worry Stef, I’ll sort things out,” he said.
“Whatever dad,” Stefan replied and walked out of the living room. Entering his room, he closed the double doors so hard that it cause a loud sound. His room was gigantic. One would hardly notice its size because of the paintings hung around its four walls, the grand piano at one end and his game station at another end. He walked straight to a painting of a young woman with an unreadable facial expression. Beneath the painting read ‘my mona lisa’. He removed the painting from the wall and behind it stood a vault. He opened the vault and took out a stash of Indian hemp. His hands trembled as he wrapped a few pinches into a stick.
He couldn’t ignore the pain he felt any longer; he fell down to the ground and cried, still holding the stick of Indian hemp he’d rolled in his hand. Even rich, spoilt, stubborn and nonchalant Stefan King could feel hurt. The rumors he’d been hearing about his parents’ divorce and the look in his mother’s eyes that evening made him believe she would do anything to stay away from his dad. He was now alone. And this scared him.
Chapter Five
It was the evening of the bonfire. Eric arrived at Blair’s front door just in time before Luke showed up with his car. Luke was the only one that owned a car among the five friends. Jessica and Eric were hoping their parents would surprise them in their coming birthday. Emma wasn’t bothered to even learn how to drive because most of her male friends owned cars, and Blair was indifferent about the whole driving thing. Moreover, she loved being in confinement of her room.
She opened the door and stepped out with her sister, who then struck a pose in front of Eric. “How do I look?” Emma asked.
“Not bad,” Eric replied, smiling.
“What? Not bad? You must be kidding,” she said, as they walked over to Eric’s front yard. She gave her phone to him, adding, “Please take some nice photos of me. Do you think I should do away with the glasses?” Eric nodded, and so she handed her pair of Ray-Ban to her sister. “I need to upload at least two photos today on Instagram. It’s been a while I uploaded any,” she moaned.
“Says the girl I caught on Instagram yesterday,” Blair said.
“Yeah, but that doesn’t count. I haven’t uploaded a new picture in a while now.” She continued posing for Eric as though it was an official photo shoot.
Luke arrived in a few minutes with his ride and everyone, including Jessica jumped into the car. As they arrived at the venue of the bonfire, Jessica left them and began looking for Antonio. Luke and Eric stayed with the sisters as they sat by the fire and talked about the different bonfire events they’d attended. Emma spotted Stefan at one corner of the beach, but decided to map out a plan before approaching him. “I want to make it difficult for him to say no,” she said. Once she had devised a well-thought plan, she jumped up and walked towards him. He was alone.
“Hey Stefan, is everything okay?” she asked.
“Yeah, why wouldn’t it be?” he replied.
“I don’t know, but I hardly see you all by yourself.” She stared at his polo that hugged his chest, showing off his ripped torso. “I like the tee,” she added.
“Your dress is not bad either,” he said.
“Should I get you something to drink?” she said. Stefan nodded, and she went over to a section of the beach where drinks were kept to pick out something for both of them.
Luke stood up from the gathering and ambled over to drinks section. He met Emma leaving with two red cups in her hand, but didn’t interrupt her. He reached for a few cups and looked for a drink that Eric and Blair would love. As he searched around, he bumped into Nick and the two boys began to exchange words. Eric noticed his friend was taking longer time than necessary, so he jumped to his feet and looked around for Luke. He spotted him in the midst of five boys, trying to explain his way out of their gathering. Eric ran and met the boys in time to pull his friend out.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Nick asked, as Eric and Luke walked away.
“I’m not in the mood, Nick. Leave us alone,” Eric replied.
“Are you talking to me?” Nick asked.
Eric ignored and they walked back to meet Blair. “What took you so long?” Blair asked Luke.
“I’m sorry, was held up. What did I miss?” he said, grinning.
As Blair attempted to give him a recap of the conversation they had in his absence, Nick and a couple of boys appeared behind Luke and poured a bucket of sand over his body. Luke trembled as the sand groped most part of his body; from his head to his toes. He would have preferred if he’d been poured water instead.
Eric grew angry and punched one of Nick’s friends on his nose. He couldn’t sit back and watch his best friend undergo such humiliation in front of everyone on the beach. Even though he knew he was outnumbered, he needed to defend his friend’s honor. Nick didn’t care much about this; he reached for Eric’s shirt and drew him closer, right before punching him on the jaw. Eric fell to the ground and the rest of Nick’s friends continued beating him. Luke managed to scramble to his feet and then began wrestling one of the boys.
Blair kept screaming as they beat Eric, causing Jessica to notice the horrifying view behind her. She cried out as she ran across the beach. Stefan, who hung out with Emma at one corner of the beach jumped up and ran after Jessica. He reached for Nick’s arm and pulled him aside. “That’s enough,” he said, and glanced at the others who were beating Eric. “I said it’s enough. Leave him alone.” The teenagers stopped and took a few steps away from the boy on the sand that was bleeding from his face, hands and legs. As they walked away, Stefan took his friend Nick out of the beach. Something had drawn him to stop the fight. Even Nick seemed surprise as he watched Stefan climb into his jeep.
Luke ran towards the lake to take a bath, as there was still sand all over his body. He felt lucky that the venue of the event was close to ocean. He hadn’t realized the current state of his best friend as he swam across the lake.
Jessica knelt down beside her twin brother and cried, noticing his face and legs were covered in blood. Antonio caught up with her and helped her pull him to his feet, and they rushed him to the ambulance that stood at the edge of the beach. Blair and Emma, still in shock, followed Jessica and Antonio. They stood in front of the ambulance as it sped off to the medical center.
* * *
Sandra heard the news about her son and reached for her cell phone, her hands trembling in fright and her eyes flowing with tears. “Ben, where are you?” she said, as her husband picked up the phone.
“I’m out of town hun. Something important sprung up and I had to take the next flight to represent the company in a meeting,” he replied. “What’s up dear?”
“Don’t you dear me,” she screamed. “It’s freaking Saturday for chrissake. You should be home with your family.” She took in a deep and long breath. “You know what have fun in your stupid meeting that is obviously more important than your family.” She hung up the phone and threw it across the kitchen, smashing it against the wall. As she cried out, she heard the sound of her door bell. It rang for a few minutes until she found the strength to walk over to the front door.
Raphael stood behind the door; his blanched cheeks and red eyes weakened Sandra’s bones. She couldn’t ask him to leave her house because she could see the pain in eyes. Though it wasn’t his son, he was almost as worried as her. He wrapped his arms around her, whispering, “Everything will be okay.”
She nodded and used her sleeve to wipe the tears trickling down her cheeks. “I need to go the hospital to see my boy,” she said.
“Where’s Ben?” he asked.
“He’s running late. He’ll meet me up in the hospital,” she replied.
“All right, I’m going with you,” Raphael said.
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“No, you don’t have to, everything will be fine,” she assured.
Raphael shook his head and reached for her coat that hung on the coat hanger beside the door. “I’m going with you to the hospital and that’s final. Do you need to pick anything before we leave?” he asked, as he helped her wear the jacket.
“Yeah, I just need to get my purse,” she replied. She stepped back inside the house and picked her purse from her bedroom. There wasn’t any time to examine her outfit or makeup through the mirror. All she could think about was the life of her son. In a few minutes, she climbed into Raphael’s car and they drove to the hospital. The doctor who’d called to break the news had informed Sandra about the excessive loss of blood her son had experienced, because the paramedics had failed to stop the bleeding whilst driving to the hospital. Eric needed a few pints of blood from a donor. The only person Sandra knew who could qualify as a donor was her husband. And he was a thousand miles away.
Chapter Six
Eric woke up the following evening to find his mother and sister beside his sick bed. He could hardly move his neck as a neck brace kept it steady, immobilizing his broken bone while it healed. He stared down at the cast on his left leg and tears dripped down his cheeks.
“Oh my baby,” Sandra cried. She reached for his hair and ran her hands through it.”How are you feeling?”
“I feel weak and my body feels really heavy, I’m okay other than that,” Eric replied. He felt a sharp pain in his head, adding, “And yeah, my head hurts.”
“That’s because of the slight concussion you experienced Mr. Michelson,” said a lady in white overall as she walked into the room. It seemed as though she’d been waiting for him to wake up. She brought out a device that resembled a torch light but with the size of a pen. She shone it across his eyes, and then reached for his wrist to examine his pulse. She smiled. “Your vitals are okay. You’re lucky your sister and my son got you in the ambulance early enough. You’re suffering from a cervical fracture, which most people refer to as a broken neck. We’ll keep the collar on you until we’re certain it’s safe for you to move your neck. The good news is we don’t think you’ll need to undergo a surgery. And about your leg, it should be healed within a week or two. Also, the headaches will eventually cease if you keep taking the drugs I prescribed. ”
Eric smiled. “Thank you, doc,” he said.
“Have some rest and you’ll be out in no time,” the doctor replied, and left the room.
He glimpsed at his sister who stood beside Sandra; her swollen eyes and pallid face caused a few tear drops to trickle down his cheek. He hated seeing his sister in such pain, even though he faced a greater one.
“Wait till I lay my hands on those kids. Their parents would wish they weren’t born. I mean, look at my boy, he can’t even return to school until they get rid of these things on his body,” she said, pointing at the neck brace and cast on his leg. She glanced at the clock in the room and added, “Give me a minute baby, I’ll be back. I have to let your father know how you are feeling. He’s very worried.” She walked out of the room and arrived at the waiting area.
Blair and Emma jumped on their feet as they saw Sandra. Raphael reached for her hand and wrapped his arm around her. “How is he?” he asked.
“He’s awake. The doctor said he’ll be okay, so we’ll just have to wait and see,” Sandra said, grimacing. She left them and wandered to an empty room where she could call her husband. She passed Luke on her way, but didn’t notice him. He sat still on an iron chair and bent his head in order to hide his face. One could say he felt guilty.
Raphael and his daughters proceeded to the ward where Eric stayed. They hugged Jessica for the fourth time and approached the teenage boy on the bed. “How’re you feeling?” Blair asked.
“I feel pains in my head, neck, shoulders and legs, but the doctor said it’s normal and that the pains will go away pretty soon,” he replied. He noticed the tears on Blair’s cheeks. “Hey, stop crying, I’ll be okay. Where’s Luke? I hope he’s okay?”
“Yeah, he’s fine. He’s still in shock though. I think in some ways he blames himself for the turnout in events,” Blair said.
“But it’s his fault,” Emma said. “He should be the one wearing that collar of yours.”
Eric grinned. “It’s okay,” he said. He glanced at his sister and noticed the tears welling in her eyes. He grimaced. “Can someone please take Jess out of here? I hate seeing her like this.”
“No, I’m staying with you until you’re strong enough to return home,” she replied.
Antonio, who stood outside the room by the window, walked in, reached for her hand and pulled her to a corner in the room. “Your brother is right; you need to get some sleep. You’ve been here for almost twenty four hours. You need to eat and freshen up. Don’t worry, I’ll stay back here with your mom and look out for him. Plus your dad should be here any moment from now as well,” he said.
Jessica hesitated but with continued pressure from her boyfriend and brother, she surrendered. Sandra walked into the room holding her cell phone in one hand. “Your father wanted to speak to you, but I told him to call much later because you’re still feeling a bit woozy,” she said to Eric.
Eric smiled in response. He stared at Jessica silently asking her to use the door. “Mom, Eric wants me to head home,” Jessica reported.
“Yeah, you should. You need to freshen up and prepare for school,” she said. “Raphael, please can you take her home?”
Raphael nodded. “Yeah,” he said. He looked over at his daughters. “Girls, I’ll give you a minute, Jessica and I will be waiting outside for you.”
Sandra glanced at Antonio. “And you too dear, you need to freshen up. I’m sure your mom won’t want you staying here this long,” Sandra said. “Not to worry, I’ll be here with him. You just go and prepare for tomorrow.”
“Okay Mrs. Michelson,” he said. He looked over at Eric. “Later Eric, and remember, there’s no good reason to punch someone. Stay safe.”
As Jessica and Raphael sat in the waiting area, she spotted Stefan standing a few meters away them wearing a black blazer and a pair of denim. He caught sight of her and motioned towards her and Raphael. “Hey Jessica, how are you doing?” he asked.
“Why do you care?” she replied. “I’m sure you’ve gotten what you wanted.”
“No. Not really. What I want is much harder to get,” he stated. “Don’t worry about the hospital bills it’s been taken care of. I just want you to promise me one thing.”
“What?” she snapped.
“That you’ll take good care of yourself,” he replied and strolled out of her sight. He had passed a message across and even though Jessica didn’t seem to understand what he meant, he felt good having to stare into her soft green eyes. It was obvious he had something up his sleeve. Why else would he be so concerned about Jessica’s wellbeing?
He waited behind for a couple more minutes, and saw Jessica leave the hospital with Raphael and his girls. Then he approached Luke, whose pale face pressed against his two palms. “You were lucky this time around. I assure you, if you disrespect my boy Nick again, you’ll be the one in the sick bed. Got me?” Luke nodded shivering. He had lost every atom of confidence that he’d used in exchanging words with Nick. If only he’d channeled his frustration into something productive, he wouldn’t be lying in the hospital. He’d learned the lesson of a lifetime.
* * *
Stefan drove into his compound. He remained in his car for a long minute, as he remembered the news his parents had told him a couple of weeks ago. He hoped his mother would retain the house whenever his father decides to sign the divorce papers. He climbed out from his car and ambled into the house. The whole issue with Jessica and her brother made his bones feel heavy. He shuffled to his room and motioned to the fridge that stood at one end of his room. Opening it, he searched for his favorite liquor but couldn’t find it. He slammed the door of his fridge and walked to the kitche
n to question any of the maids present. Sadly, he found the kitchen and the entire ground floor empty. Where’s everyone? he said silently. He climbed the curvy staircase and went straight to his mother’s room.
“What’s the matter dear?” she asked. “Don’t you know how to knock?”
“Where are all the maids?” he asked.
“I think they closed early for the day. What’s the problem?” she asked again.
“I need something important and I can’t find it in my fridge.” He paused. “Where’s dad?”
“I left your father in his study,” she replied.
“All right, I better speak to him then,” he said, and walked out of her room without closing the door. Martha didn’t bother to call him back because she knew it would be a waste of her energy. He arrived at his father’s study and knocked on the door. No response. He knocked harder. Still – no response. He grew impatient and pushed the double doors open. He froze at the sight in front him. He blinked his eyes repeatedly in hopes of waking up from the nightmare. He wanted to scream, but he found it difficult to breathe as he began gasping for air. His father’s body lay on the wooden floor of his study. Stefan managed to get to his body, but as he placed his head on his father’s chest he couldn’t hear any heart beat. Julian King was dead.
Chapter Seven
Stefan and Martha sat on the marble steps that led to the front doors of their seven bedroom mansion, as they stared with unseeing eyes at the ambulance in front of them. Martha’s hands trembled; her blanched cheeks were filled with tears. Stefan sat still like the trees that surrounded their compound. One could observe the tears pooling in his eyes, but he wouldn’t let them trickle down his cheeks.
The paramedics had arrived a few minutes after he found his father’s lifeless body in his study, and pronounced him dead. They said he’d suffered from a heart attack, which could have been caused by hypertension. Martha and her son watched the paramedics carry Julian’s body to the ambulance, as he lay on a stretcher covered with white linen.
“I can’t believe he’s gone,” Martha cried. “What happens to us now? It wasn’t meant to be this way.”